Help! Racoon and Skunk Killing Flock

[llombardo]

Hardware cloth on the ground around the pen too.

You could also do an electric fence around any area you choose.

It took me a small amount of time to get on the electric fence train. The last straw was finding broken zip ties(thankfully I did not only use zip ties). They were focused on one area by the ducks. Since I put the fence up i have not found any more broken zip ties. When I got to the gate with the electric fence there was claw marks and dried blood, I had left exposed hardware cloth in case sonething attempted to reach in and they did.

I have a family of raccoons and opossums living about 25 ft from the coop in the trees--many sleepless nights. The run is hardware cloth from top to bottom, heavy duty netting on top, hardware cloth on the ground 2 ft out all the at around plus the electric fence all around and on two sides on the top(you know in case they jump from a tree or the top of the fence.

 

[The chicken whisperer 5]

Last Sunday, my Silkie never got into the coop. I couldn't find her in the bushes, the barn, anywhere. The next day, my Rosecomb rooster (also champion-bred) was mauled by something. His head had been eaten. The disturbing thing is that this last incident happened IN THE MORNING, after I had already let the flock out for the day. I smelled skunk as I was cleaning up the carcass. However, two days ago I actually found the remains of my Silkie, and she was torn to bits. This is more the behavior of a raccoon (believe me when I tell you I've had so many raccoon attacks over the years, but this is the first that's happened in the morning). I have a radio going 24/7 in my barn after coyote attacks last year, along with barbed wire, a motion- detector flood light, and blinking red Predator Eyes, that are supposed to scare away potential predators.

So I know I just posted a little while ago about my brand new mini-flock of pigeons (2 pairs). They were very expensive show-stock. Yesterday, I found two of the four dead. The pictures below are pictures of their loft and aviary. One had broken it's neck and the other was pulled halfway through the fence and it's head was chewed off. The other two didn't have a mark on them, but they're absolutely terrified of everything now.

I don't think whatever killed my pigeons was ever in the aviary, but I have the dead birds. Does anyone have any idea what to do to stop whatever predator(s) is killing my show flock? I set a live trap last night for a raccoon, but I don't want to catch a skunk in the raccoon trap! Please help! View attachment 1579627 View attachment 1579623 View attachment 1579622 View attachment 1579621
Sorry for the fuzziness. My camera isn't very good.

So what id do is get snake wire and put it all around the coop on the top and on the bottom this stuff is to small for predators to get there claws into and keep your chicken in the run all day for about a week or so. I had a hawk who new my routine with my chickens and almost got my roo and what I did is I didn’t let my chickens out of the run for about a month! They were upset about it but it worked I haven’t seen that hawk for a while.

 

[ReseisCL16]

That is a dilemma. moving to the barn would definitely help if there are overhead predators like hawks landing and scaring them so bad they fly and break their own necks. or a good dark tarp over top of pen secured with straps. Coons find their way into my barn, so may find their way into your barn. You would still need good hardware cloth to keep your birds from poking their heads out and predators from reaching in. can you close your birds in the coop till slightly later in the day? I had a big horned owl out by my chicken coop pretty early in the morning, he had caught something, but not my chicken. I quit letting them out at daylight. You will probably never get rid of all predators, but you can reduce the incidence of them. Set those traps at dusk and check every morning. you'll get there. I set mine next to my chicken pen/coop. Even though we have plenty of skunks around, we don't seem to have much problem with them and the chickens. HUGE problem with opossums and coons. Sometimes early morning coyote.

I have to leave my house by 7 every morning, so I let my goats out about 6:45. The chickens have an automated door that opens later in the morning when it's lighter out, bu the pigeons don't. I have to manually let them out in the morning, so they are the one's I'm worried about now. I also can't check on them during the day, and whatever it is has been coming in the morning when it's still dark out.

Where I live, I have snakes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, hawks, owls, foxes, and the rare occasional cougar. It's predator central (I've lost so many birds to them, but I keep building my coop and run into Fort Flox bit by bit over time), so I'm setting the raccoon trap tonight. It's been extremely windy though, so I hope it doesn't blow shut by itself. I also tied a rope to it, just in case I catch a skunk! (Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!) I've also caught a fox in that trap, so hopefully it will prove effective tonight.

 

[The chicken whisperer 5]

I have to leave my house by 7 every morning, so I let my goats out about 6:45. The chickens have an automated door that opens later in the morning when it's lighter out, bu the pigeons don't. I have to manually let them out in the morning, so they are the one's I'm worried about now. I also can't check on them during the day, and whatever it is has been coming in the morning when it's still dark out.

Where I live, I have snakes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, hawks, owls, foxes, and the rare occasional cougar. It's predator central (I've lost so many birds to them, but I keep building my coop and run into Fort Flox bit by bit over time), so I'm setting the raccoon trap tonight. It's been extremely windy though, so I hope it doesn't blow shut by itself. I also tied a rope to it, just in case I catch a skunk! (Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!) I've also caught a fox in that trap, so hopefully it will prove effective tonight.

Are you willing with getting a live stock guardian dog? That will keep the predators away like a great pyaramese . Not sure if I’m spelling that right.

 

[ReseisCL16]

Are you willing with getting a live stock guardian dog? That will keep the predators away

That's a good idea. Would a llama or donkey work? I'm not sure if my little farm house could handle a big guard dog, plus my two other dogs.

 

[The chicken whisperer 5]

That's a good idea. Would a llama or donkey work? I'm not sure if my little farm house could handle a big guard dog, plus my two other dogs.

I’m not sure they might work you could try tbh I don’t know much about donkeys or llamas.